§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his latest estimate of the number of additional people coming into the employment register in England and Wales in the forthcoming year when compared with the previous two years.
§ Mr. GoldingProvisional estimates of the labour force in England and Wales indicate an increase of approximately 220,000 between June 1975 and June 1976. It is not possible to indicate precisely the increase in the subsequent year to June 1977 or in the forthcoming year to June 1978. Projections, on certain assumptions, suggest an underlying trend rate of increase of about 170,000 a year over this period but actual changes, in individual years, are liable to show fluctuations about the underlying trend.